Wochenschau Verlag

What Wochenschau Verlag does

Wochenschau Verlag, legally Dr. Kurt Debus GmbH, is a Frankfurt am Main-based German educational and academic publisher specializing in political education, history didactics, and social sciences. Founded in 1949 and operating with approximately 15 employees, the company serves a primarily DACH-market audience of secondary-school teachers, universities and teacher-training institutions, political education associations, youth-work organizations, and vocational schools. Its product surface spans a catalog of 12+ specialized journals (including WOCHENSCHAU, POLITIKUM, POLIS, Journal für politische Bildung, geschichte für heute, and the International Journal of Research on History Didactics), printed and digital books organized into named Schriftenreihen (Forum historisches Lernen, Wochenschau Wissenschaft, Schriftenreihe der DVPB, Kleine Reihe Geschichte, etc.), sub-imprints Debus Pädagogik Verlag and b|d edition, plus the 'elibrary' digital platform and an Open Access initiative offering select titles under CC BY-NC-ND licensing.

The company generates revenue through a mix of one-time book sales (€6.99–€84.90 per title), recurring journal subscriptions (e.g., POLIS at €27.45 for students/trainees and €54.90 regular, four issues per year), digital/PDF product sales, and freemium open-access distribution. Pricing includes student/trainee discounts of roughly 50% and dual-format print-plus-PDF bundles. Go-to-market combines direct B2B and B2C e-commerce on wochenschau-verlag.de, book-trade and library distribution via BroCom (Brockhaus Kommissionsgeschäft GmbH), direct institutional subscriptions to universities and schools, and event-driven marketing at conferences such as the DVPB's annual gathering. Distribution partnerships (BroCom) and co-publishing alliances (DVPB, Sendinblue for newsletters, VG Wort for author rights) structure the operating model as a lean editorial-and-rights organization that outsources logistics and digital marketing infrastructure to specialized partners.

Name

Wochenschau Verlag

Legal name

Dr. Kurt Debus GmbH

Website

https://wochenschau-verlag.de

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Wochenschau Verlag is a Frankfurt-based German educational and academic publisher (founded 1949, Dr. Kurt Debus GmbH) producing 12+ journals and book series on political education, history didactics, and social sciences for DACH schools, universities, and civic education institutions, monetizing via one-time book sales, journal subscriptions, and institutional access.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Educational Publishing

NAICS

Periodical Publishers (51312), Book Publishers (513130), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Periodicals: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2721), Books: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2731)

akta.pro primary industry

Education Research & Pedagogy Scholarly Publishing (EDAGAFAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Academic & Scholarly Journals Publishing (Peer-Reviewed) (MPAJABAC), Scholarly Societies & Conference Proceedings Publishing (MPAJABAK), Social Sciences (Psychology, Sociology, Political Science) (EDAGABAD), Scholarly Society & Association Publishing (EDAGAFAK)

Keywords

• Educational publishing services
• Political education materials
• Academic journal subscriptions
• History didactics publishing
• Teacher training resources

Headquarters

HQ city

Frankfurt am Main

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Book Sales: One-time sales of printed books and textbooks across political education, history, and social sciences. Price points range from €6.99 to €84.90 depending on publication type and format.
2. Journal Subscriptions: Recurring subscription revenue from academic journals including POLIS, POLITIKUM, Journal für politische Bildung, and other specialized publications. Includes both institutional and individual subscriptions.
3. Digital Products: Sales of PDF versions of publications and digital access to journal content, often available at different price points than print versions.
4. Open Access Publications: Free access publications under CC BY-NC-ND license, potentially generating visibility and institutional relationships rather than direct revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wochenschau Verlag publishes printed and digital books, academic journals, and open access publications focused on political education, history didactics, and the social sciences for the German-speaking educational market. Its catalog is organized into named Schriftenreihen (publication series) and serves schools, universities, political education institutions, and vocational schools with curriculum-aligned teaching materials, scholarly research journals, and professional development resources. The company also operates a digital elibrary platform, an Open Access initiative, and journal subscription services distributed through its own online storefront and the BroCom / Brockhaus Kommissionsgeschäft GmbH fulfillment partner.

Product overview

Wochenschau Verlag (Dr. Kurt Debus GmbH) is a German academic and educational publisher specializing in political education, history didactics, and social sciences. The company operates as a multi-product publishing house offering printed and digital books organized into named series (Schriftenreihen), a portfolio of 12 specialized journals (including WOCHENSCHAU, POLITIKUM, POLIS, Journal für politische Bildung, and geography, history, and economics teaching journals), a digital elibrary platform, an Open Access initiative, and journal subscription services. The book catalog covers subject areas including politics, history, geography, economics, pedagogy, sociology, and democracy education, with series such as Wochenschau Wissenschaft, Schriftenreihe der DVPB, Forum historisches Lernen, and Kleine Reihen (Geschichte, Gesellschaftswissenschaften, Soziologie, Hochschuldidaktik Geschichte). The company distributes its publications through its own website and the Brockhaus Kommissionsgeschäft GmbH fulfillment partner.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Debus Pädagogik Verlag: Educational imprint of Wochenschau Verlag focusing on pedagogy
• b|d edition

Products and services

• WOCHENSCHAU journal Bimonthly journal covering topics of political, historical, and civic education with practical teaching materials and worksheets, serving German-speaking educators and students.
• POLITIKUM journal Journal for political education offering in-depth political science analyses and current societal topic coverage for educators and academic readers.
• POLIS journal Quarterly nationwide report of the German Association for Political Education (DVPB) covering selected topics in political education for institutional and individual subscribers.
• Journal f\u00fcr politische Bildung Quarterly journal dedicated to political education research and practice, aimed at educators, researchers, and political education practitioners.
• geschichte f\u00fcr heute journal Quarterly journal focused on current history teaching methodologies and research for history educators and didactics researchers.
• International Journal of Research on History Didactics International peer-reviewed journal dedicated to history didactics research, targeted at academic researchers and teacher educators worldwide.
• zeitschrift f\u00fcr didaktik der gesellschaftswissenschaften Journal for the didactics of social sciences covering political, historical, and economic education for teachers and researchers.
• zeitschrift f\u00fcr menschenrechte Journal dedicated to human rights topics and research, serving educators, researchers, and human rights practitioners.
• demokratie gegen menschenfeindlichkeit journal Journal addressing democracy and counteracting misanthropy through civic education, targeted at civic educators and political practitioners.
• Die Ganztagsschule journal Journal dedicated to all-day schooling (Ganztagsschule) research and practice, for school administrators, teachers, and education researchers.
• Forum f\u00fcr finanzielle und \u00f6konomische Bildung journal Journal dedicated to financial and economic literacy education, targeted at teachers and economic education practitioners.
• GEMEINSAM LERNEN journal Journal focused on inclusive and collaborative learning practices, for inclusive education teachers and special education professionals.
• B\u00fccher (Print & PDF) book catalog Printed and digital books covering political education, history didactics, social sciences, sociology, pedagogy, democracy education, and related academic fields, sold individually or via series for educators, students, and researchers.
• Schriftenreihen publication series Organized book series including Forum historisches Lernen, Kleine Reihe Geschichte, Kleine Reihe Gesellschaftswissenschaften, Geschichtsunterricht praktisch, Methoden historischen Lernens, and Wochenschau Wissenschaft, providing structured academic publication streams.
• Wochenschau Wissenschaft academic book series Academic book series under the Wochenschau Verlag imprint covering political education, youth work, and social science research for academic readers.
• Schriftenreihe der DVPB publication series Publication series of the German Association for Political Education (DVPB), published by Wochenschau Verlag for political education practitioners and association members.
• elibrary digital platform Digital library platform providing online electronic access to the publisher's book and journal catalog for institutional and individual subscribers.
• Open Access publishing initiative Open access publishing initiative offering free digital access to selected publications, including titles licensed under CC BY-NC-ND for broad public reach.
• WOCHENSCHAU-Online portal Online portal associated with the WOCHENSCHAU journal for digital content delivery and supplementary online materials.
• Newsletter subscription service Newsletter subscription service delivering professional information and offers via email, managed via Sendinblue GmbH for educators and subscribers.
• Journal subscriptions (Abonnements) Subscription service for journals including POLIS, with student and trainee pricing at reduced rates for individual and institutional subscribers.

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• BroCom (Brockhaus Kommissionsgeschäft GmbH)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary distribution and fulfillment partner handling order processing, physical distribution, and logistics for books and publications. Orders placed through the website are fulfilled on behalf of Wochenschau Verlag by Brockhaus Kommissionsgeschäft GmbH.
• Deutsche Vereinigung für politische Bildung (DVPB)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-standing partnership with the German Association for Political Education. Wochenschau Verlag publishes the DVPB's official journals (POLIS, Schriftenreihe der DVPB) and collaborates on conference publications.
• VG WortminorOthersPartner for managing author royalties and rights. Provides information to authors about VG Wort procedures for copyright compensation.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cornelsen Verlag: Berlin-based major German educational publisher with broad school textbook and digital learning offerings. Comparable as a competitor for German secondary school adoption budgets, but with a much broader K–12 scope and substantially larger scale.
• Klett-Verlag: Stuttgart-based major German educational publisher with extensive textbook and learning material programs for schools. Comparable as a broad incumbent selling into the same German school procurement channels, though with significantly wider subject and grade coverage.

Direct peers

• W. Bertelsmann Verlag (wbv): German educational and scholarly publisher covering vocational education, social work, and political education topics. Directly comparable as a Bielefeld-based mid-sized publisher competing in the same German educational/scholarly niche as Wochenschau Verlag.
• Beltz Verlag: Weinheim-based educational and social science publisher with imprints like Beltz Juventa covering pedagogy, education research, and youth work. Directly comparable in subject matter, customer base (educators and social scientists), and scholarly journal portfolio.
• Campus Verlag: Frankfurt-based social science and economics publisher producing academic monographs and journals. Operates in the same metropolitan market as Wochenschau and overlaps directly on social science and political economics titles.
• Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht: Göttingen-based academic publisher with strong lists in history, social sciences, and humanities. Comparable as a German scholarly publisher producing journals, monographs, and university textbooks for similar institutional customers.
• Peter Lang Verlag: International academic publisher with a strong German-language humanities and social science list. Comparable in its scholarly monograph and journal publishing model for academic customers in political science, history, and education.
• transcript Verlag: Bielefeld-based independent academic publisher focused on social sciences, cultural studies, and political theory. Comparable in its strong open access / digital strategy and its focus on social science scholarship for academic and student audiences.
• UTB (Uni-Taschenbücher): Cooperative university textbook venture distributing academic titles across German-speaking universities; Wochenschau already lists a 'utb.' program, making UTB both a distribution partner and a structural peer for political science and pedagogy textbooks.
• Dietz Verlag: Bonn-based political publisher historically rooted in social democratic thought. Comparable as a small, ideologically-positioned German publisher producing political analysis, history, and social science titles for similar institutional readers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/wochenschau.verlag
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/wochenschau-verlag
• Instagraminstagram.com/wochenschau_verlag

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wochenschau Verlag